OPPO incoming smart wear, MIM ushered in the development opportunity

OPPO has announced its entry into the smartwatch industry with the launch of OPPO Watch.
As OPPO’s first attempt at a smartwatch, the Watch is available in a variety of models, including 46mm, 41mm, and refined steel versions.Its dial USES rectangular design, 3D ceramic bottom shell, integrated metal frame, especially the dial USES hyperboloid design, become the most eye-catching product highlights.
As a concrete manifestation of the trend of “electronics +”, wearable devices have gradually completed the market cultivation in recent years, with apple, Xiaomi, Huawei and other terminal brands continuously launching corresponding products.The burgeoning market for smart wearables also offers considerable opportunities for MIM (metal powder injection molding) processes.
In the field of smart wear, MIM has a strong presence.
Smart wear is a kind of wearable portable computing device. In order to allow users to comfortably wear it all day, the design of smart wear must overcome foreign body sensation — small size, light weight and ergonomic shell.This means that smart wearable components have small, three-dimensional complex shapes and special performance requirements.
As a result, MIM technology is gaining popularity in the field of smart wearables, which are required to be “light and small, but of tolerable quality”.At present, MIM process is mainly used in the manufacturing process of smartwatch case and watch chain.
For parts with complex structure, MIM process has great advantages — near net forming, almost no waste. Complex parts can be mass produced at low cost only by developing corresponding molds according to the products.
Smart wear will usher in a 100-billion-dollar market breakthrough
Over the past few years, the global market for smart wearables has grown slowly.But in 2019, the market for smart wearables is starting to return.
Global shipments of smart wearable devices reached 84.5 million units in the third quarter of 2019, up 94.6% year on year and setting a new record for shipments in a single quarter, according to a research report released by market research firm IDC.Even since the Spring Festival in 2020, the smart wearables sector has continued to rise by about 2%-3%.
In addition to the signs of rejuvenation on the market, smart wearables have two other big names in the future — AI and 5G.
According to a report by Markets and Markets, the world’s second largest market research institution, the global smart wearable AI market will reach 42.4 billion US dollars (295.6 billion yuan) in 2023. Smart wearable devices supported by AI algorithms may become the main force and “lead” the market.On the other hand, with the continuous maturity of mobile Internet and the advent of 5G era, smart wearable devices will be more widely used as the next hot spot of intelligent terminals in the future.
The characteristics of MIM process are very consistent with the development trend of consumer electronics precision and high-end.It can be predicted that the penetration rate and market size of MIM technology in smart wear field will also increase in the future.